Forward

A Chapter by Max64

Setting the Stage

Forward - CE2071

The Western Intelligence Communities had all agreed for some time; China would fall. Not really fall; collapse was a better word �" Collapse, in upon itself in a entropic frenzy. A beast that grew so large, gravity itself would act to tear it asunder. Surely, the Chinese system said similar of the West. Only one could ultimately be right, and the closed nature of the China system, limited its ability to evaluate self and others.

It became an issue of when, rather than if, and when in the late ‘30s the decline began, all upped the ante on the predictions. In the hegemonic balance of geo-politics, the fall, and perhaps the punishment, of what was then modern China was viewed as a good thing.

No one thought about what would come after the “communists.” China would be as all other post commie fronts �" a turn toward the ubiquitous western values that had defeated the nation. It worked in South Eastern Europe, Russia, and even Leftists South America; save for the fact these things had not worked.

Suppression under the Party had never destroyed the sense of nationalism among the billions. Suppression under the party had never routed out the idea of Chinese exceptionalism, and of a Chinese people that had been under the boot of others �" the West, the Party, Japan, whomever �" and needed to rise and assert itself.

The nationalists rose to power �" faster than the same intelligence entities who had anticipated the fall for decades were able to acknowledge and assess. The Nationalists wanted to establish a new China, along a new path that was neither western nor communist.

As nationalist parties and powers have been prone, once the new Prime Minster of the China Nation Party was in control, She sought new enemies abroad with which to use as tools to unite the people in a single purpose.

First was North Korea. Pyong Yang made it easy. In a brazen act of solidarity with the dying Chinese Communist Party, in its waning days, took its army across the Yalu River to the North to provide a safe zone for the fleeing communists. The communists also had the hard currency wealth of China. Bound for the peninsula. The military, rechristened, and advanced over decades of preparation, swore allegiance to the New China, and within weeks, there were no longer a North or South Korea. A united Korean province was too part of New China. There was vote within the Korea, and the world excepted the wishes identified in the vote as legitimate.

Japan came next. Unlike Korea there was less of a real precedence. Just something the Chinese had wanted for some time. Remember Nanking. The short war was brutal. The so-called self-defense forces of Japan were routed. Having no war experience in almost a century, there was no culture of combat. No ability for the nation to act and decide in its own defense.

With no real military, and a series of stunning defeats, Japan capitulated. China gained the entire first and second island chains, and removed a major economic competitor from the chess board by reducing it to a vassal state.

Taiwan was next. Everyone said it would be first. In the early days the KMT party thought the new nationalists would be their brothers and sisters. There was even discussion about the government in Taipei moving back to Beijing and taking power. But Taiwan was made of those far separated from the civil war and the revolutions. Its leaders in their 30s and 40s felt little real ties to the motherland and came across week Manchus desiring rule. The alienation from the continent was palatable.

In a brilliant coup de grace, the nationalists returned Taiwan and its islands to the greater china in a bloodless revolt, an Anschluss of the Taiwan straight.

This was the world at the close of the 2030s.

A new China was proclaimed, and the Nationalists continued to carry the vote. The flag was changed. The name was changed. China achieved more.

Russia moved next. And the border became the graveyard of millions. There was never a peace, but they have not resumed the battles for some time.

The United States of America was paralyzed. Factionalism and debt prohibited the country from functioning internally, let alone on the international stage. It had been a long time in the making, but America was not longer the leader of the West. And without a Leader, everything that was the West, everything it represented, faltered. Open economies closed, liberal press slanted into jingoism, border-less regions built walls. Democracy had failed.

A fascist movement wept through sub-Saharan Africa, removing most of the Wests cheap labor and resources. The Federation allied itself with China.

When the west finally did decide to act, China had enough nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and directed energy weapons to counter anything the west could do. There was no counterforce to the massive Chinese deterrent arms.

NATO finally acted. It was the ‘40s. We were all broke. Famine swept. Clean water became even more precious. And yet, somehow a few of the leaders were able to climb from the rubble and push forward their agenda. China had to be countered, and if not entirely countered, put in place where the other nations of the word could balance her.

So we, the Western States, lead by the NATO Secretary General, built the Massive Mobile Orbiting Space Stations, MMOSSes. Numbers One through Five. They were, are, massive. The size of a small town. Personneled with between 500 and 850. 850 is MMOSS5. Also known as The Big Momma.

So, they are massive.

Each is definitely mobile, with a large quantity of fuel that allows them to be moved anywhere in the earths orbit.

Orbits are principally over Mainland China.

Space Station. Yep. They are in space.

Most importantly each is armed with enough directed energy weapons and High Density Penetrator rounds to decimate the major population centers of China, her allies, and pretty much anyone who threatens the Security Council. That’s NATO’s security council.

Its probably obvious at this point, but the United Nations no longer exists.

MMOSS gave us a counter force. The balance has been restored. The balance is maintained.

The MMOSS (plural) returned the world to peace.

My job? I protect the MMOSS. With peace the most vital commodity in the world, not a day passes when a hostile power does not seek some type of advantage over the Security Council. Most of these attacks are in the realm of the electronic, the cyber. Few are hard attacks.

I protect the MMOSS from all that would threaten the MMOSS, by anyone who would threaten the balance that allows for the peace to remain.

How? Easiest way possible �" I remove those who threaten.

By any means necessary.

© 2014 Max64

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C. Rose

“a entropic” should be “an entropic”
“asunder” :)
“Leftists South” maybe should be “Leftist South”

The beginning is high vocab dense, which then dwindles, then turns very casual “yeah” and “so”.
I recommend consistency. My personal favorite is the middle ground where the voice is friendly, but still clearly educated.

Showing vs. Telling
Starting with that much background information is a risky world. While the detail you've put into the world is impressive, history text book pages won't hook your audience.

Your ending succeeds in luring the reader into wanting to know where it will go. Good job.

Here are some suggestions for ways to show the beginning instead of tell.
A classroom lesson. The main character walking through your world – perhaps someone rants. The main character giving a tour – thought that wouldn't make 100% sense with what you implied about his job at the end.

Another option is a time line. I've seen this done quite frequently in science fiction novels where before chapter one there is a time line. This would take the pressure off all the information you are trying to cram in to the beginning.